No matter what the media channel, effective advertising begins with solid research and intelligent insight. Our long-time client Jelmar, the makers of CLR, recently commissioned a study to discover our dirtiest cleaning secrets. The findings are not only useful; they’re funny because they’re familiar to us all.

Obsessed with cleaning? If so, you are not alone. According to a new survey commissioned by CLR (www.jelmar.com), one-third of Americans consider themselves to be cleaning fanatics with the average American spending almost five hours a week cleaning and mothers with children under eight years old spending an average of nine hours a week cleaning. Additionally, more than half of Americans (52 percent) consider cleaning to be therapeutic.

The "CLR Cleaning Confessions" survey was conducted by TNS to examine the cleaning habits and pet peeves of U.S. adults as well as how the larger topic of cleanliness affects their behavior. Beginning with the flagship calcium, lime and rust remover (CLR) and expanding to include a Mold & Mildew remover and Stain Magnet stain remover, the CLR family of products has helped solve people's toughest cleaning problems for more than 20 years.

"Of course we love to hear that people enjoy cleaning, but I'm sure there are many things they would rather be doing than scrubbing their bathroom or kitchen," said Alison Gutterman, president of Jelmar. "We want to make the time people are spending cleaning as easy and effective as possible, so they are always ready for the unexpected guest, or have more time to spend with their family or even just spend more time treating themselves. This is why we continue to focus on making products that are easy to use and get the job done the first time."

Additional survey highlights include:

Confessions of a Cleaning Fanatic: Half of parents with younger kids consider themselves cleaning fanatics and many Americans avoid socializing when homes are dirty.

More than six in ten Americans (63 percent) are triggered to clean their homes when friends, family or significant others visit and over one-quarter (29 percent) of Americans have avoided having people over because their homes are too dirty.

One-third of Americans (33 percent) have avoided visiting a friend or family member's home because it is too dirty.

Bathrooms Considered "The Dirtiest": Americans consider the bathroom to be the dirtiest room in the home, but do not clean it as frequently as other rooms.

One out of three Americans (35 percent) admit that their bathroom is the dirtiest room in their home, and one in five Americans (19 percent) only clean their bathrooms once a month.

More than half of Americans (55 percent) consider a dirty bathroom to be one of their biggest pet peeves when visiting other people's homes. Strong odors, dirty dishes, overflowing garbage and clutter were other common pet peeves.

Cleaning Trigger Points: When asked about what motivates them to clean, the majority of Americans said seeing dust and clutter gets them to get moving.

Outside the Home: Americans are also focused on cleanliness outside of their home. When asked about additional cleaning pet peeves:

Half of Americans admit to flushing the toilet with their feet.

Four out of ten Americans (42 percent) use paper towel to open public doors.

Over one-quarter of Americans wipe down silverware at restaurants and surfaces in hotel rooms.

METHODOLOGYThe CLR survey was conducted using the online omnibus services of TNS from May 29 – 31, 2014 among a nationally representative sample of 2,500 Americans 18 years of age or older (balanced to census). The margin of error for total Americans 18+ is ±1.9 percent. If the study were replicated, the findings would not vary by more than 1.9 percentage points in either direction 95 times out of 100.

ABOUT JELMAR, LLC:JELMAR is a leading manufacturer of a broad range of household cleaning products, including CLR® and Tarn-X® brands of cleaners. Flagship CLR products include CLR Calcium, Lime and Rust Remover, CLR Bath & Kitchen Cleaner and CLR Septic Treatment and Drain Care. With its unique formula, the CLR brand gets the cleaning job done in virtually every area of the home. New products recently introduced include CLR Mold & Mildew Remover and CLR Stain Magnet, designed with the modern kitchen in mind. For more information visit http://www.jelmar.com.